LexusHonda

Hello Club Lexus

I am trying to change the O2 sensors on my 2006 GS300 RWD (bank 1 and 2 sensor 2). The dealership tried to charge $800 for this. I priced it out and was able to get the parts for lees than $300. Does anyone know where I can got to find info on how to do this my self?

Boron

NGK do replacement sensors, and according to a very good mechanic I know, are more robust than the Denso originals, or Bosch ones.
I'm sure I've seen them online for a lot less than $300, and fitting is straight plug and play, after screwing out the old and in the new one.
Any decent local garage should be able to do it for you in under 20 mins.

BinaryJay

You can get the parts from the dealer for around $200 or less each, then I find most shops will just charge 1 hour labor whatever their hourly rate is... it might be per side but that would be a real ripoff.

Simmsled

When do these need to be replaced?

Boron

Whenever they fail, otherwise don't give them a second's thought.

BurgBoxstr

+1

First off, codes thrown pointing to O2 don't actually mean the O2 sensor is bad. It simply means the value returned from them is outside of normal range which is usually quickly interpreted as the O2 is shot . So, make sure you test the sensor first w/ a multi-meter. Plus, rarely if ever does more than one go at a time (barring a bigger underlying issue fouling them which you'll want/need to discover and solve first). Codes pointing to O2 sensors (especially if more than one code at a time) could actually be a number of different things including wiring pre-sensor, MAF, catalytic converter when S2, etc. I've seen people get taken to the cleaner replacing all 4 b/c anecdotal evidence from codes interpreted by a less than savvy technician says they're all bad. In the end, underlying issue was the MAF. Again, rarely if ever does more than one go simultaneously. On my GX, the B2S1 went at ~ 110k; the remaining three were fine thru 130k when I dumped it.

FYI, Advance Auto has an O2 tool kit loaner program. It comes w/ 3 tool options for removal/install. You buy the kit for ~ $30 and if you return it complete w/in 30 days you get a full refund.

Good luck

Boron

As above, my fuel cap flagged up a code which the Lexus Master Tech thought he recognised as the infamous O2/ECU upgrade fix.
Another mechanic's multi-brand diagnostic unit said it was one of the post O2 sensors.
Read here about the cap, do the extra clicks - 3-4 drives and engine stop-starts later, lights disappear.

So, treat the diagnostics as an indicator, not the gospel.
The good mechanics know this, and use theirs to start thinking what else in the chain could cause the same symptoms - dealer techs too often rely purely on the computer to tell them what's wrong, and this has the benefit of moving spares sat on shelves/in national warehouse(s) through the channels, even if the old part was still useable for a good while yet.
So with vested interest, it's no surprise dealers are all too willing to just swap out stuff, and hope if enough is swapped out, one of the new parts will have fixed the problem.

LexVoitek

You are correct about Lexus charging $800 to change the oxygen sensor, and I can assure you that it is a lot of work.

I just finished the job recently on my 2006 GS300 and recorded a video tutorial of the entire process. The video and the job itself was grueling. So if you do watch the video and find it useful, please click like on the video and become a subscriber if you want to see my other Lexus maintenance videos. Thanks

Thanks and I hope you appreciate the effort I put in to the making of this video.

I don't know why, but YouTube Fast Forwards the video when it's lengthy. So please rewind it to the beginning, or you will miss some important instructions.

LoveThatV8

iTrader: (1)

I have literally watched the entire vid and i will subscribe for sure. Thnx man for leading the community with instructions of how-to along with a high-quality vid to go with it. Thumbs up my man

canatto

Thanks a lot, LexVoitek, for the great video! I found your demo of removing the center console very instructional and useful. Having to do such an extensive tear down only to replace an O2 sensor is obviously some bad engineering there on Lexus part. I personally would simply cut the wires and solder in the replacement if I ever need to change B2S2. Some potting around the joint would be necessary to water proof/protect the connection but would still be far less work than would doing it the "right" way. I've cut the wires, spliced in a home-brew little circuit in order to "condition" the sensor reading, so I know it's possible. Great video nonetheless. You're clearly very able around cars.

PauloFR

Hi, I have the exact same O2 sensor to replace (P0057 code). It failed some days ago. Do you know what size of O2 tool the sensor takes? A link to a site selling it in Canada would be a must. Thanks